Jackson was expected to compete for a spot in the Rangers bullpen out of spring training, but some recurring back problems held him out for the bulk of the spring slate, leaving the Rangers brass no choice but to send him back to the minors. He performed well during his time at Triple-A Round Rock, piecing together a 2.45 ERA and 11.1 K/9 in 22 innings out of the bullpen. This helped him garner a couple of brief cups of coffee in Arlington, although he pitched horrifically against major league hitters. In 11.2 innings, the electric 25-year-old was shelled for 14 runs on 22 hits (four home runs) while compiling a dreary 3:8 K:BB, leading to a demotion all the way to Double-A Frisco. Jackson has a lot of life on his mid-90s fastball, but his below-average command and control have limited his ability to compete for a high-leverage role thus far. The Braves saw an opportunity to swap declining assets with Texas this offseason, acquiring Jackson in a deal that sent another failed prospect, Tyrell Jenkins, to the Rangers. The trade should offer Jackson a better chance to break camp in the majors, given the Braves' lack of quality bullpen depth.

2016

Jackson began the year at Triple-A, where he posted a decent performance that was a big improvement from his disastrous debut at Round Rock in 2014, where he was converted to relief after five poor starts to the season. Jackson's plus fastball and shaky command seemed to always hint at a reliever role, and it appears that Texas has elected to go that route. He made seven appearances out of the Texas bullpen in 2015, and it will be difficult for him to carve out an Opening Day roster spot in a bullpen that already features Shawn Tolleson, Sam Dyson, Keone Kela and the newly-acquired Tom Wilhelmsen from the right-side.

2015

The 6-foot-2 righty enjoyed a 3.02 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with a 83:24 K:BB ratio in 83.1 innings at Double-A Frisco, but that excitement was short lived, as Jackson gave up 46 earned runs in 40 innings (10.35 ERA) following his promotion to Triple-A Round Rock. His HR/9 rate quadrupled and his BABIP ballooned to almost .400, so there was some bad luck involved with his disastrous turn at Round Rock, but posting a career-high 13.9% walk rate did not help matters. The stretch at Frisco was the best run of Jacksonís career, and itís likely that his performance at Round Rock simply qualifies as a minor setback. A strong start to 2015 at Triple-A could place him in the Rangersí rotation this summer. Entering his age-23 season, Jackson still possesses a fastball that borders on double-plus, with a curveball and changeup that also have plus potential, so the worst-case scenario here is that he ends up pitching the eighth or ninth inning in Arlington.

2014

Jackson began the year repeating a stint at High-A, but ended the year with 27 innings at Double-A Frisco. There are questions about the repeatable nature of his high-effort delivery, and some related questions about the consistency of his breaking pitches as a result, which could limit his future to a late-inning option out of the bullpen. It's a role that he might eventually pitch his way into, but he'll be given every opportunity to succeed in the rotation first. He's expected to begin the year in the rotation at Double-A Frisco.